Plea Hearing for Pot Club Affiliates Delayed

Five defendants in a felony case involving a controversial pot club in Newark did not enter a plea during their court appearance Wednesday morning.

Instead, Judge Dennis McLaughlin moved the plea hearing to Nov. 18 at the request of representatives of Roberts & Elliott, attorneys for the collective, and the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

The criminal case against the five men came after aheaded by the California Department of Justice and Newark police.

 owners Teddy Miller of Salinas and Bob James Uwanawich of Fremont are facing , including various drug-related crimes, tax evasion and Labor Code violations, according to court documents.

NBD employees Salim Dost, 22, Michael Glenn Martin, 21, and Kyle Cameron Smith, 22 are facing .

All five are scheduled to appear at the Fremont Hall of Justice at 9 a.m. on Nov. 18 to enter a plea and set a date for a trial.

The group’s Wednesday court appearance came a day before Newark’s City Council is scheduled to consider that would prohibit the establishment and operation of medical marijuana dispensaries in town.

The council is also scheduled to hear an appeal for NBD Collective’s application for a conditional use permit and planned unit development, which was denied by the Planning Commission on Oct. 11.

The council meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at , 37101 Newark Blvd.

NBD has been operating at 7180 Thornton Ave. since 2009 — without a business license and after city staff told an NBD representative that city zoning did not allow for the sale of medical marijuana.

Attorneys for the dispensary have said the club does not need a business license to operate because it is a non-profit organization, but city officials maintain that NBD Cannabis Collective must have a Newark business license.

For more information on NBD Cannabis Collective, click here.